Daniel Ridgway Knight - His Years at Rolleboise

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Daniel Ridgway Knight "Partant pour le Travail"



Daniel Ridgway Knight's works represent so many aspects of Nineteenth-Century painting, including history, genre, landscape, portrait, and floral themes. In each work, all that is aesthetic is recorded with fine detail and skill.

In order to faithfully record the scenery, Knight studied the different phases of the day and their effects on the environment. Knight built a glass studio outside of his home, enabling him to paint outdoors, even in the dead of winter. Whether he was concentrating on the evening with the glow of moonlight upon the Seine River, or on a young woman in a brightly colored flower garden at midday, each scene is depicted with great detail and with specific attention to a realistic portrayal of the landscape.

Daniel Ridgway Knight was born on March 15, 1839, in Pennsylvania. He studied and exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he was a classmate of Mary Cassatt and Thomas Eakins. In 1861, he went to Paris to study at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Cabanel, and to apprentice in the atelier of Charles-Gabriel-Gleyere.

He returned to Philadelphia in 1863 to serve in the Union Army. During the war, Knight practiced sketching facial expressions and capturing human emotion in his work. He sketched battle scenes, recording the war for history. He founded the Philadelphia Sketch Club, where he showed works that dealt with the Civil War, mythology, and scenes from opera. In 1871 Knight married Rebecca Morris Webster and after the wedding, he began working as a portrait painter in order to make enough money to return to France.

In 1872, once settled in France, Knight befriended Renoir, Sisley, and Wordsworth, all of whose influences can be seen in his work. He also enjoyed a close relationship with Meissonier. In 1875 he painted a painting called Wash Day (35 1/2" x 51 1/4") after a sketch by Meissonier for which he received critical acclaim. Knight was also strongly affected by the works of Jean-Francois Millet. In 1874 while painting in Barbizon, Knight went to visit Millet and found his view of peasant life to be too fatalistic. As opposed to Millet, Knight focused on depicting the rural classes during their happier moments. Other important influences were Bastien-Lepage, with whom he is most often compared and Jules Breton for his plein-air style.

Knight's works during the 1870's and 1880's focused on the peasant at work in the field's or doing the day's chores - collecting water or washing clothes at the riverside. His painting Hailing the Ferry, painted in 1888 and currently in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, depicts two peasant girls calling for the ferryman on the other side of the river. This work, considered one of the artist's masterpieces, captures all the elements of his pre-Rolleboise period - the subdued light and color, the finely detailed figures and the artist's acute attention to detail.

By the mid-1890s, Knight established a home in Rolleboise, some forty miles west of Paris. Here he began to paint the scenes that were to make his work so sought after by contemporary collectors - views of his garden. His home had a beautiful garden terrace that overlooked the Seine - a view he often used in his paintings. Collectors from across the globe vied for these works which featured pretty local girls in his garden. Works from this period include The Roses currently in the collection of the J.B. Speed Museum and The Letter in the Joslyn Art Museum - both of which feature pretty young women surrounded by lush flora.

Knight received a third class medal at the Salon in 1888 for Hailing the Ferry and a Gold Medal at the Munich Exhibition that same year. In 1889 he was awarded a Silver Medal at the Paris Exposition and was knighted in the Legion of Honor, becoming an officer in 1914. In 1896 he received the Grand Medal of Honor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Daniel R. Knight died in Paris on March 9, 1924.

Selected works by Daniel Ridgway Knight in U.S. public collections:

The Burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (1867) - The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD.
Scene from Faust - Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ.
Peasants Lunching in a Field (1875) - Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA.
Market at Poissy (1876) - The Museum at Drexel University, Phil., PA.
At the Well (1880) - Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rural Courtship (n.d.) - Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK.
Waiting for the Ferry (1885) - Heckscher Museum, Huntington, NY
Noonday Meal (1887) - Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA.
Hailing the Ferry (1888) - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Phil., PA.
The Water Carriers (1892) - Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI.
The Shepherdess (1896) - Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Trysting Place (n.d.) - Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA.
Springtime (n.d.) - Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y.
The Gossips (n.d.) - The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, PA.
Noonday Meal (n.d.) - Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA.
Life is Sweet (n.d.) - Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH.
Landscape at Sewickley, PA. (n.d.) - Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT.
The Idler (n.d.) - Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH.
Girl by a Stream (n.d.) - Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN.
Brittany Girl Fishing (n.d.) - Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL.
French Thrift - Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NB.

Literature:

Americans in Brittany and Normandy, 1860-1910, Phoenix Art Museum.

A Pastoral Legacy: Paintings and Drawings by the American Artists Ridgway Knight and Aston Knight, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art Cornell University 1989.

Weinberg, H. Barbara, The Lure of Paris, Nineteenth Century American Painters and Their French Teachers, Abbeville Press Publishers, N.Y., 1991, Pgs 63-66.

Weisberg, Gabriel P., Redefining Genre: French and American Painting, 1850-1900, The Trust for Museum Exhibitions, 1995, Pg. 69-71. Catalogue for the traveling exhibition: Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Memphis, TN., Sept. - Dec. 1995; Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, FL., Jan. - Feb. 1996; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA., Feb. - April 1996; Meridian International Center, Washington, D.C., May - July 1996

Weisberg, Gabriel P., Collecting in the Gilded Age: Art Patronage in Pittsburgh, 1890-1910, Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA., 1997, Balding + Mansell, Kettering.


This essay is copyrighted by Rehs Galleries, Inc. and may not be reproduced or transmitted without written permission from Rehs Galleries, Inc.




Clair du lune - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Clair du lune
22 1/4 x 18 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Friendly Advice - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Friendly Advice
26 3/4 x 32 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Gossips - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Gossips
30 x 36 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Julia Among the June Roses - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Julia Among the June Roses
45.5 x 34.75 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Le jardin négligé - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Le jardin négligé
32 x 25.5 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Madeleine & Maria on the Terrace - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Madeleine & Maria on the Terrace
25 7/8 x 31 1/8 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Maria by the River - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Maria by the River
32 1/4 x 26 1/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Maria Gathering Flowers - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Maria Gathering Flowers
26 x 21 1/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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On the Terrace, Rolleboise - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
On the Terrace, Rolleboise
22 x 18 3/4 inches
Signed

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Sur la Terrasse (Maria and Madeleine) - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Sur la Terrasse (Maria and Madeleine)
28 7/8 x 36 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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The Woodcutter\'s Breakfast - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Woodcutter's Breakfast
29 1/4 x 36 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Confidence - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Confidence
25 5/8 x 31 5/8 inches
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On the Terrace at Rolleboise - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
On the Terrace at Rolleboise
26 x 32 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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La Petite Jardinière - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
La Petite Jardinière
33 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Picking Poppies - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Picking Poppies
32 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Among the Poppies - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Among the Poppies
32 1/2 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Partant pour le Travail - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Partant pour le Travail
32 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Les Cerisiers - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Les Cerisiers
32 x 26 inches
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Meditation - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Meditation
22 x 18 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Martha, A Days Sport - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Martha, A Days Sport
22 x 18 1/8 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Picking Poppies - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Picking Poppies
32 x 26 inches
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Chrysanthemums - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Chrysanthemums
21 3/4 x 18 1/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Maria on the Terrace with a Bundle of Grass - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Maria on the Terrace with a Bundle of Grass
33 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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The Grass Cutter - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Grass Cutter
32 x 26 inches
SIgned and inscribed Paris

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Reverie de Soir (Maria on the Terrace, Rolleboise) - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Reverie de Soir (Maria on the Terrace, Rolleboise)
33 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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The Gossips - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Gossips
26 x 32 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Maria and Madeleine on the Terrace - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Maria and Madeleine on the Terrace
29 x 36 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Sur la Terrasse - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Sur la Terrasse
36 x 46 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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The Pet Dove - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Pet Dove
32 1/4 x 25 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Gathering Roses - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Gathering Roses
32 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Gossips - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Gossips
32 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Returning Home - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Returning Home
32 x 24 inches
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In the Garden - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
In the Garden
22 x 19 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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At Poissy \'Your Health\' - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
At Poissy 'Your Health'
22 x 18 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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The Flower Girl - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Flower Girl
26 x 21 inches
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The Fisherman\'s Daughter - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Fisherman's Daughter
22 x 18 1/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Afternoon Sun, Rolleboise - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Afternoon Sun, Rolleboise
14 5/8 x 10 5/8 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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By the Riverside - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
By the Riverside
32 x 25 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Maria on the Terrace - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Maria on the Terrace
32 1/4 x 25 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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The Village Seamstress - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Village Seamstress
22 x 18 inches
Signed, Inscribed Paris and dated 1916

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Waiting for the Ferryman - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Waiting for the Ferryman
26 x 32 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Lecon de Danse - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Lecon de Danse
35 1/2 x 46 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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En Vendanges - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
En Vendanges
48 x 60 inches
Signed, inscribed Paris and dated 1905

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Le Dejeuner - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Le Dejeuner
22 x 18 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Julia - Corner of the Garden - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Julia - Corner of the Garden
32 x 25 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Julia Gathering Roses - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Julia Gathering Roses
22 1/8 x 18 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Girl Picking Poppies - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Girl Picking Poppies
22 1/4 x 18 1/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Dolce Far Niente - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Dolce Far Niente
22 x 18 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Polishing the Urn - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Polishing the Urn
32 7/8 x 26 3/8 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Watching - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Watching
22 1/4 x 18 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris; titled on the reverse

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The Signal - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Signal
21 3/4 x 18 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Gathering Flowers - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Gathering Flowers
32 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Maria, By the Seine - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Maria, By the Seine
32 1/4 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Time to Rest - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Time to Rest
22 1/4 x 18 1/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Jeanne sur la terrasse - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Jeanne sur la terrasse
22 x 18 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Madeleine in a Wheat Field - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Madeleine in a Wheat Field
26 x 21 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Cutting Roses - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Cutting Roses
45 3/4 x 35 1/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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The Day\'s Catch - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Day's Catch
32 1/4 x 25 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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At the Water\'s Edge (Girl with Copper Jug) - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
At the Water's Edge (Girl with Copper Jug)
32 x 26 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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The Lesson - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
The Lesson
22 x 18 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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A Pensive Moment - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
A Pensive Moment
46 3/4 x 35 3/4 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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Quiétude - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Quiétude
47 x 36 inches
Signed, inscribed Paris and dated 1900

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Contemplation, The Day\'s End - Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daniel Ridgway Knight
(1839 - 1924)
Contemplation, The Day's End
22 x 18 1/2 inches
Signed and inscribed Paris

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